On October 2 and 3, Ignite Christian Academy teachers and staff attended the 2014 Heartland Christian Educators' Convention at Dordt College in Sioux Center, Iowa. Christian educators from Minnesota, Iowa, and South Dakota came together, keeping the mission of the event in mind: "To support the Biblical calling and task of Christian schools by providing collaborative learning opportunities for teachers and administrators."
Two Ignite Christian Academy teachers, Mr. Gesch and Mrs. Pulkrabek, had the opportunity to present at this year's conference, offering wisdom from their time in the teaching community to their peers.
ICA's Spanish and art teacher, Mr. Gesch, hosted two sessions. His first session, "The Cross and Your Tongue: A Biblical Basis for Studying a Foreign Language," generated a cultural discussion about the appreciation of all languages. It examined how we are called to love God, to love our neighbor, and to take care of creation. We are given reasons to expand learning into other languages and share it with other cultures. Throughout the session, participants discussed these reasons and learned about the importance of deepening our appreciation for language in our lives.
His second session, "What's Your Lens? Looking Biblically at Culture," fostered an engaging discussion about the views of other world cultures and the limitations caused by these views. Attendees looked at culture in terms of biblical history and mandate using both the Old and New Testaments. Mr. Gesch's experience as the son of missionaries in Peru provided first-hand insights that supplemented his research on cross-cultural experiences.
Mrs. Pulkrabek, an ICA math teacher, presented a session titled, "Using Technology to Visualize Math Concepts." The session provided an overview of virtual manipulatives, graphing software, and other free resources that can be used to enhance a student's understanding of math concepts. Mrs. Pulkrabek spoke about her experience teaching math virtually, and discussed the strategies she has developed to help students connect using these resources.
The Heartland Convention for Christian educators is an annual opportunity for ICA teachers to collaborate with and learn from other Christian school teachers. We are pleased that two of our teachers had the opportunity to share their knowledge and experiences with their peers at the convention this year.